Before the first match, PHOENIX officials announced the Style Battle Tag League! It will be a 10-team block tournament. Teams will be separated in two blocks of five, with the winners of both blocks facing off for the tournament's prize. It will take place during March.

Due to a serious injury, Fuminori Abe had to be replaced. Yuya Aoki took his spot. Due to Abe's injury, his lightweight opening tournament semifinal match againt Shinya Aoki will be canceled and Aoki moves on to the final.

Sakuraba gets his first win in PHOENIX! Nakamura and Sakuraba were outsized but pulled out the victory. Suwama cleaned house but the inexperienced Higuchi was floored when Sakuraba shot in for a takedown and quickly tapped him out.

Suzuki dominated the match, controlling the smaller Aoki but Aoki was able to counter the saka otoshi and the Gotch piledriver into submission attempts. Suzuki hit Aoki with a penalty kick as the time limit expired. Aoki had to be carried out of the ring.

It was a battle of suplexes, which had both fighters exhausted and hurt. Thatcher unleashed a series of vicious headbutts which knocked down Suzuki but the latter was able to regain his senses, get an ankle pick and transition into a submission to win the title.

Sakuraba hasn't had the best record in PHOENIX so far, but he'll try to qualify to the Tag League with grappling prodigy Nakamura. Against them will be Nakatsu and Umeda, two youngsters looking to upset the promotion's owner.

Hidaka and Nomura were both tag team partners of Fuminori Abe. They'll be joining forces to try and make it to the tag league. Lawlor and Garrini also haven't had the best results so far, but they'll be looking to change that by qualifying to PHOENIX's first tournament.

In the style of Quintet, this is a 5v5 elimination rules match. However, it will be held under pro wrestling rules and with wrestlers like Higuchi, Thatcher and Suwama in it, it'll probably have more lariats and suplexes than slick submissions.

5) Hideki Suzuki & HARASHIMA vs. Minoru Suzuki & Hikaru Sato

Minoru Suzuki continues his feud against Hideki Suzuki. This will be a preview of the Tag League as well, with Minoru Suzuki teaming with Sato for the first time in years. Shinya Aoki is competing for the singles lightweight title, so HARASHIMA, the ace of DDT, is teaming with Hideki instead.

6) PHOENIX Lightweight Title (vacant): Shinya Aoki vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey has lost to Aoki in the past due to a quick submission, he'll have to be more careful to overcome the MMA legend and claim one of PHOENIX's three titles.

The deathmatch champion Takeda upset a legend and the favorite to win the title, Masakatsu Funaki, to earn his place in this match. He proved to be a well-rounded wrestler and even tapped out Funaki. Nakajima was a young prodigy and has been considered the best striker in pro wrestling since he was a teenager. But will his skill be enough to overcome Takeda's unpredictable style?

Hideki Suzuki was forced to use two of his rope breaks. One by Sato, who dropped into an imanari roll and almost locked in a leglock just seconds into the amtch and the other time by Minoru Suzuki, who applied the saka otoshi and almost got the rear-naked choke. Hideki had the smaller Sato in trouble several times, with a series of suplexes and strikes. But before he could hit the finishing blow, Suzuki rushed into the ring and threw him out. HARASHIMA ran into the ring as well but Suzuki quickly applied the Gotch piledriver, which knocked the DDT ace out.

Bailey dominated the match, he was able to keep Aoki at bay until Aoki went for a flying armbar. Bailey postured up but was choked out with a triangle. Aoki showed great heart and tried to knock Bailey out with punches, until he went for the flying submission. Aoki wins the lightweight title!

Takeda quickly took the fight outside, but Nakajima was no stranger to ringside brawling. Chairs were thrown and heavy strikes were traded. Nakajima and Takeda crawled into the ring bleeding, Takeda tried to target Nakajima's legs and get a leglock. Nakajima had to use one of his rope breaks to escape and seemed to be unable to use his left leg afterwards. Takeda failed two quick takedowns after the fight was restarted post-rope break, he feinted a kick and shot in a third time, but he got knocked out by a right high kick. Nakajima wins the middleweight title!

Sakuraba and Suzuki grappled to a standstill. Sato and Nakamura tagged in and grappled briefly before Sato demanded that Sakuraba tag in. Sakuraba quickly tapped Sato tap out! Despite the loss, Suzuki and Sato qualify to the Tag League finals!

Around the ten minute mark, Aoki almost tapped out Garrini but Garrini got a rope break and tagged out. Suzuki was troubled by Tom Lawlor's striking but was able to toss him out of the ring with a lariat. Garrini and came in and almost got a kneebar on Suzuki but Suzuki reversed into an ankle lock. Suzuki and Aoki qualify to the Tag League finals!

StandingsBlock A

Hideki Suzuki & Shinya Aoki | 3W-1L | 6 points

Suwama & Kazusada Higuchi | 2W-2L | 4 points

Tom Lawlor & Dom Garrini | 2W-2L | 4 points

Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi | 2W-2L | 4 points

Masashi Takeda & Yuya Aoki | 1W-3L | 2 points

Block B

Minoru Suzuki & Hikaru Sato | 3W-1L | 6 points

Timothy Thatcher & Jonathan Gresham | 2W-2L | 4 points

Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya | 2W-2L | 4 points

Kazushi Sakuraba & Daisuke Nakamura | 2W-2L | 4 points

Mike Bailey & Chris Ridgeway | 1W-3L | 2 points

The finals will headline a show at the Wakayama Prefectural Gymnasium on March 26th.

Lawlor and Thatcher went all out from the beginning. Lawlor almost knocked out Thatcher at the very beginning of the fight and kept punching and kicking him until Thatcher caught him and suplexed him repeatedly. However, Lawlor refused to submit and he wasn't knocked out. Thatcher ran out of ideas and attempted a fisherman's suplex but Lawlor applied the guillotine choke in response.

Jonathan Gresham was eliminated first, then Dominic Garrini, then Manabu Soya, then Masa Kitamiya, then Masashi Takeda, then Kazusada Higuchi, then Masakatsu Funaki, and finally Suwama. Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kazushi Sakuraba won the match.

Nakajima's team scored three eliminations in a row until only Higuchi and Suwama were left. Sakuraba submitted Dom Garrini and Manabu Soya, while Masashi Takeda submitted Jon Gresham. Suwama knocked out Kitamiya with a big german suplex. Higuchi then knocked out Takeda with a doctor bomb. Funaki submitted Higuchi with a triangle choke. Funaki also almost submitted Suwama but Suwama was able to suplex him and roll through to get a katahajime and tap the legend out. It was Suwama's first time using the move in PHOENIX. Nakajima was able to knockout a tired Suwama.

Hideki Suzuki was at a disadvantage early on, having to use a rope break to escape an armbar from Hikaru Sato. Later in the bout, Aoki returned the favour by forcing Minoru to use a rope break to escape a leglock but Minoru forced Hideki to use two more rope breaks, once with an armbar over the ropes and another time with a manjigatame. After tagging in, Sato almost knocked out Hideki Suzuki with a kick, but the latter scored a takedown. However, he ended up in Minoru Suzuki's corner, who then tagged in.

Hideki invited Minoru to come at him and after going toe-to-toe for a while, he almost executed a big german suplex, but Minoru escaped. Minoru then goaded Hideki to the ropes, where he applied an armbar over the ropes. His team had no ropebreaks left so the hold was legal! However, he was able to get free. With Hideki very clearly hurt, Minoru Suzuki applied the saka otoshi before transitioning to the sleeper hold and getting the victory by submission. Minoru Suzuki & Hikaru Sato are the tag league champions!

After the match, Minoru Suzuki said he's now proven to be better than Hideki Suzuki and will soon take his title. Hideki said that he made several strategic mistakes and was disappointed by not winning the tag league. However, he accepted the challenge and said he'll beat Minoru in a singles match!